Those who persistently share music and video files illegal online could have
their internet connections terminated online, according to new government
proposals.

Stephen Timms, the minister for Digital Britain has said previous proposals considered by the Government to simply restrict the internet connection speed of persistent offenders did not go far enough.

But is this a step too far? Currently seven million people – one in 12 of the population – regularly download music and films illicitly, while more than 60 per cent of people aged 14 to 24 have downloaded illegally, according to a report by UK Music.

And despite the new proposals, Pirate Party UK, the political party that wants to make peer-to-peer filesharing legal, has seen more than 4,000 people join its Facebook page in the last few weeks.

BT, one of the six major ISPs in Britain, said it was "disappointed" by the changes, while Virgin Media have also questioned the ideas.

So are the Government right to propose these latest steps? Will it cut down on illegal filesharing or will users simply find another way to share music and video? Should we simply accept that peer-to-peer filesharing will always be a part of the internet and therefore embrace it?